Belmont High School Hour of Codeattended by US Congresswoman Katherine Clark. I held an Hour of Code event at Belmont High School to coordinate with the national effort to make Coding more accessible to all students and to highlight the employment opportunities.

Text from the article on the BHS website:Belmont High School students are learning to write computer codes, joining millions of students, celebrities, and one U.S. President. Engineering and Computer Science teacher Diane Brancazio hosted the first “Hour of Code” event at Belmont High School (BHS) on December 15 but with a twist. Brancazio asked students to write an app for an Android smart phone/device using MIT App Inventor. Participants were able to learn, design, program and upload a working app at the end of the hour. This event was open to all BHS students with no coding experience necessary. “Getting students exposed to computer science as a tool or a career, the same way one would teach a student to play a clarinet or to write an essay, is essential in getting them to understand it can enrich your career and life,” says Brancazio. “Computers are in every occupation.”The worldwide launch of an “Hour of Code” from Code.Org, held during national Computer Science Education Week, promoted that anyone can code. President Obama kicked off the week by learning to write an hour of JavaScript at a White House event to help support and expand access to computer science education in K-12 schools. Upon hearing the high school was hosting an hour of coding, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) came by to try it herself, “Working in the Science and Technology Committee redoubled my interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education,” Clark says. “I came here to see the students and teaching, and it’s a great opportunity to try to learn basic coding.” Clark was working on the app “Mole Mash”, and confessed, “I’m very glad to have someone to help me along!”Brancazio says computer programming is necessary for creating scientific models and simulations, analyzing huge amounts of data in healthcare, retail or politics, creating apps and interfaces for technologies, robotics and machine control, as well as maintaining information systems. Regardless of their field of study or occupation, some knowledge is necessary to prepare students for the 21 century.

High School CourseIntro to Coding– Belmont High School733HThis Honors level full-year course was developed for the 2014-2015 school year and counts for Science credit.It is an introduction to computer programming for students with an interest in computer science concepts and in learning how computers are used in several different careers.The course emphasizes logical thinking and creativity as essential skills in computer programming, in addition to teaching language syntax, data manipulation, and programming structures such as loops and conditions. Students are exposed to several computer programming languages and a variety of computer-based challenges. We start with “Snap” a blocks-based programming language with good graphics and sound capabilities and use it for simulations and simple video games. We then move on to “C”, a text-based language, and use an Arduino hardware platform that includes a variety of physical sensors and actuators. We also spend some time using AppInventor to design and create simple smartphone apps. This program combines solid programming concepts with powerful user-interface capabilities. With all programming languages, students will learn the interfaces, modify existing programs, then design and implement their own programs. They will develop skills in designing, modeling, creating algorithms, and implementing their ideas in a programming language.

Take-Aways from this course

Computational Thinking - how is data now a major part of all our lives and how does it change the way we think about and solve problems.

Technovation ChallengeInternational Coding challenge where teams of girls design, market, and implement Apps for social good. I started 3 teams with young women mostly from my high school. See More on my Projects Page

Certified to teach AP Computer Science Principles

The college-level AP CSP course will be introduced into thousands of high schools nationwide in fall 2016, with the first AP CSP Exam set to be administered in May 2017. Unlike computer science courses that focus on programming, AP CSP has been designed to help students explore the creative aspects of computing while also providing a solid academic foundation for understanding the intellectual concepts and practical contributions of computing. AP CSP includes a curriculum framework designed to promote learning with understanding, a digital portfolio to promote student participation throughout the year, and a course and assessment that is independent of programming language. https://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/stem/computer-science-principles